Saturday, May 8, 2010

There is a very famous story of Hazrat Suleman (A) and the Ants. Prophet Sulemaan (A) is known to have been able to speak to animals and the jinn. In this particular story, Prophet Sulemaan (A) is said to have been riding with his men in the desert when an army of ants sees them. The chief of the ants warns the others to get away from the way of the riders as they would mercilessly crush them otherwise! The prophet smiled gently and ordered his men to swerve away from the path of the tiny ants and eased away the worries of the ants.

Just as much as this story is about the miracles of the great Prophet of Allah swt and the powers that Allah swt had gifted his prophets with, this story is also a reminder of the gentleness and affection that the great prophets felt for the Creation of Allah swt.

We have numerous examples of tenderness and love in the life and teachings of our Last Prophet(S). Kindness towards plants, animals and humans alike; towards children, the elderly and the poor; towards our friends and enemies( when they are helpless and in our domain ).

Tenderness helps build relationships. It leads to the strengthening of bonds. Tenderness compels us to realize the plight of others. It becomes the solutions to so many problems. We manage to remain silent when agitated by old parents, or bothered by our innocent wide-eyed off-springs. It helps us donate to charities and show compassion for those in crisis!

But what is it that leads to our hearts becoming gentle and soft?!! The Holy Quran and the love of Allah swt. The belief in His supreme being releases us from the stronghold of pride. It fills us with humility. As for the Holy Quran, simply the recitation of this great book softens our hearts. It softened the hearts of the greatest of evil men! The words of this grand book brought the hardest of men towards deen. SubhanAllah!

My teachers in kindness and gentleness were my mom and now my dear hubby! Mom was the kindest and gentlest women I knew of. And my dear husband is the best and gentlest of men ive ever known or will ever know. Alhamdolillah! Ive seen deen do the magic of tenderness in the very words of these two favorite people of mine!

May the love of Allah swt and the magic of the Holy Quran soften our hearts and inspire us towards gentleness and love for Creation! Ameen.

Wednesday, May 5, 2010

WE DISCUSS THE DO'S AND DONT'S OF DEEN ALL THE TIME. WHAT WE MISS IS THE FACT, THE VERY FOUNDATION OF DEEN.... AND THAT IS "LA ILA HA ILLALLAHU MUHAMMAD UR RASOOL ALLAH"... MY HUBBY IS MY FAVORITE SCHOLAR ON DEEN ALHAMDOLILLAH:) AND HE HAS TAUGHT ME TO LEAD MY LIFE BASED ON THE PRINCIPLE OF "ASH-HADU ALLAH ILAHA ILLALLAHU WA ASH HADU ANNA MUHAMMADAN ABDUHU WA RASOOL-LU"... SUBHANALLAH!

1-"Don't you know that protection, tomorrow, will be limited to those who feared Allaah [today], and to those who sold something ephemeral for something permanent, something small for something great, and fear for protection?"

2-ALLAH, the Exalted,says: "And they were commanded not, but that they should worship ALLAH, and worship none but Him Alone (abstaining from ascribing partners to Him), and perform As-Salat (Iqamat-as-Salat) and give Zakat, and that is the right religion.'' (98:5)

3-Indeed they do blasphemy those who say that Allah is Jesus, the son of Mary, but Jesus said "O children of Israel! Worship Allah, my Lord and your Lord". Whoever joins other gods with Allah, Allah will forbid him heaven and the fire will be his abode. (Al Maidah)

Monday, May 3, 2010

I recently messaged a link to my friends on my network, that was about the seven essentials of a muslim woman's attire. A friend sent me a horrified reply asking me whether I was applying any of the seven rules or not! As usual, I had so much to say that I decided to write about it here:)

I started carrying the hijab 6 years back, not that I had reverted to islam then but that my reawakening process had been suddenly triggered. I owe it to my visit to Dubai. My hair was simply gorgeous at that time. My firstborn was just a year old and I was back in shape. My skin was glowing and I was feeling really good about myself. And then Dubai had me in real high spirits. I let my dyed-brown hair down till my waist and wore colorful kurtis that flaunted my fitness. My perfume filled the elevator and my wide toothy smile captured Arabs and "foreigners" alike!

In a similar setting we once boarded the hotel elevator to be carried downstairs and catch a cab for the distant malls and hotels of Dubai. I smiled pleasantly at everyone in the elevator and stood by my bearded husband's side. As the elevator made its way down, I began feeling the eyes, ears and nose that could make out each strand of my hair, knew what my skin smelled of and knew where exactly my curves were! Astaghfirullah!!! I was so ashamed in my heart to be standing next to my extremely pious and righteous hubby, a man who guarded his deen with his beard! He was undoubtedly a muslim for nobody once questioned him about his identity, where as I had been asked on many occasions whether I was hindu! I created confusions! If I was a muslim then why the lustrous locks swinging on my back attracting male and female attention alike! If I was a muslim then why the fancy garments, that were not revealing at all but clung to my body!

Oh god the debate that I had with my conscience was historic! The next few days were full of contemplation and research on Islam's criteria for modesty. We returned home and went about our daily mundane routines. My mind remained occupied with thoughts about whether I should do something about the hijab issue or not! And then, another defining moment took place, my husband's brother met a painless end after years of ailment! I was brought to face my fears as I witnessed this death and was reminded of my mom's departure to the next world! These realities hit me smack in the face. They shook me up... and I donned my hijab!

Ever since then it has been an uphill climb towards earning the pleasure of the Almighty Allah by abiding with the rules of modesty laid down for us in the Holy Quraan and the Sunnah. Ive been met with social challenges and highly stupid queries, but alhamdolillah I was helped by Allah swt in pursuing this path! So much so, that I began wearing the jilbaab last year alhamdolillah! I just hope I can go further ahead on this path and set an example for my muslim sisters by implementing all the rules of modesty! I have to credit my hubby, Little Friend for his excellent influence on my personality! His steadfastness, kindness and faith have helped me mould myself and understand deen better! May Allah swt reward him for being a good muslim hence an excellent example! Ameen

May Allah swt guide us all and help us follow the beautiful guidelines laid down for us meant for a healthy and complete lifestyle! Ameen